


Spend Your $$$

by fandomfrolics



Series: Musical Inspiration Fics [1]
Category: Marvel, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Dating, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-05-01 14:40:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14522832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomfrolics/pseuds/fandomfrolics
Summary: It’s seven weeks and sixteen dates before they tumble into bed, which is fifteen more dates and forty eight more days than Tony usually lasts. But something about Steve makes him wait.“You’re nervous,” Steve says and Tony, in a rare show of gracelessness, sputters because yes, fine, he is nervous but not for the reason Steve thinks. He sets his hand on the doorknob to his apartment and pauses.





	Spend Your $$$

**Author's Note:**

> In an attempt to get back into the groove of writing I’ve put my music on shuffle and tried to write some fic to whatever song comes on. This one's inspired by Walk the Moon’s Spend Your $$$:  
>   
>  _The first time to your apartment_  
>  _I was peeking in between my fingers_  
>  _Oh the things I hoped we had in common_  
>  _Wishful thinker_  
>  _Tell me_  
>  _Did you ever think about_  
>  _What do you spend your money on?_  
>  _I hope it’s something of value_  
> 

It’s seven weeks and sixteen dates before they tumble into bed, which is fifteen more dates and forty eight more days than Tony usually lasts. But something about Steve makes him wait. 

“You’re nervous,” Steve says and Tony, in a rare show of gracelessness, sputters because yes, fine, he is nervous but not for the reason Steve thinks. He sets his hand on the doorknob to his apartment and pauses.

“Look,” he says, turning his back to the door, “I know around campus I’ve got a bit of a reputation--”

“Tony,” Steve hurries to interject, “you know I don’t listen to-”

“It’s fine, it’s alright. This particular reputation is well-deserved.” His eyes flicker to the corner, away from Steve’s inquisitive head-tilt and he steels himself with a breath. “So as you may know, I have...er...I come from quite a bit of money.”

“Oookay,” Steve says, brow furrowed.

“And, well, I mean we’re nineteen, you know how it is, us nineteen-year-old-boys are basically toddlers.”

Steve is giving him a total what-the-fuck look and okay, that’s probably not the right image to conjure to the man you’re about to stick your dick into.

“ANYWAY,” he tries to recover and Steve narrows his eyes, “okay so, yeah, I just want to warn you, I have a lot of...stuff.”

“Tony, you don’t have to try and make me feel better. I know we come from different worlds but I-”

Tony gives up the doorknob for a second and waves his hands in front of him to cut Steve off. “No, no, Steve, it’s not that. I- okay, whatever, just...here we go.”

He takes a step back and turns so he’s half-facing the door but Steve beside him is still in view, then reaches out two fingers and taps a pattern out onto the doorknob.

The door springs ajar with an audible click. “Morse code, huh?” Steve says with a sly smile and Tony should have known that this military nerd would figure it out so quickly. “Not what I was expecting.”

Tony shrugs. “There are some other invisible security features in play. This is mostly just for fun.”

Steve laughs and shoves at Tony’s shoulder, pushing him towards the door. “Come on already.” He slides his hand up and across, his thumb brushing the hairs at the nape of Tony’s neck and sending a shiver down Tony’s spine. “Talking about morse code wasn’t exactly what I pictured when you invited me up here.” His lets his hand fall back down and slips it loosely into Tony’s. Tony glances down at their twined hands, then up again to find Steve’s face. Steve lifts their hands to his lips and presses a light kiss to the back of Tony’s hand, a steady hold on Tony’s gaze. “I promise whatever you’re worried about, I’m not going to be as upset as you think.”

“Right, right, okay.” Tony takes another deep breath and steps forward, pushing the door open with his free hand. He pulls Steve along into the center of the room and leaves him there so he can go close the door. The locks slide back into place with a reassuring  _ snick  _ and Tony leans back against the grain, watching Steve and waiting.

Steve’s got the expression of someone who’s taken a wrong turn and somehow ended up in a junk shop in a country on the other side of the planet, where both language and culture are totally unfamiliar. He’s spinning around slowly, like kabob meat on a stick, but his wide eyes are darting around butterfly-wing fast, as if trying to take everything in all in one go.

“Tony, what-” Face-to-face with Tony, his spinning comes to a halt. “What the heck is all this stuff?!”

There’s a slight strain to his voice, like he gets when he’s trying to keep his temper in check, and Tony knew it, he  _ knew _ Steve would think he was a total crazy out-of-touch weirdo, he’s totally judging him and getting ready to bolt. 

“I am  _ not  _ getting ready to bolt,” Steve says and Tony snaps his mouth shut, cursing his lack of filter in times of high stress. Steve takes a deliberate step forward, as if approaching a skittish animal. 

“Look,” Tony starts, hands out, “in my defense, some of these have only gone  _ up  _ in value so they’re actually an investment.”

“Uh huh,” Steve says putting another foot in front of him. 

“I mean, it’s just basic financial planning, really.”

“Right,” Steve says, curt. He’s right in Tony’s space now, crowding him up against the door that Tony is totally not defensively pressed up against, no way.

“It’s really not my fault,” Tony tries. God, Steve is tall.

Steve purses his lips. “Whatever you say.”

Tony waits, breath stuck somewhere in his lungs and unwilling to budge. “Well?”

“I just…” and then Steve bursts into laughter, loud, unrelenting gales of it that collapses him into Tony’s smaller frame, his head tucked into the juncture of Tony’s neck and shoulder.

Tony instinctively grabs onto him, blinking.

“Er, Steve?” he tries after a couple of minutes of this has passed but to no avail. Annoyed now, he viciously jams a finger into his side. “Steve!”

“Ow!” Steve straightens up at once, rubbing at his ribcage. He’s got honest-to-god tears running down his face and Tony feels a stab of indignation run through him. He crosses his arms and scowls.

“Sorry!” Steve says, swiping at his eyes. “Tony, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh,” he tries but the effect is ruined by the little giggles that punctuate his every other word. “It’s just--”

“What, Steve!”

Steve shakes his head, presses a hand to his mouth helplessly. He closes his eyes for a second and takes a deep breath, seemingly trying to get himself under control. “I just...” he repeats, steadier, and then infuriatingly trails off once again. Before Tony can even open his mouth to snap, Steve leans forward and presses his lips firm against Tony’s, straightening back up again before Tony can realize what’s happening. “God, I love you.”

Tony mouth drops open and he freezes there for long enough for Steve to start looking self-conscious.

“Sorry,” Steve mutters, rubbing at the back of his neck, “I know it’s soon and we haven’t even...I mean I was hoping that...oh god, I’ve probably totally freaked you out, Tony please say something…”

Tony blinks. He can feel his lips curling up into the tiniest of smiles. “You love me?” he whispers, as if saying it too loud would make it go away.

Steve ducks his head, scuffing his shoe on the ground. “I, yeah.” He’s got the most delectable red color spreading up his cheeks “Is that okay?” he asks, peering up at Tony.

“Is that  _ okay _ ?” Tony gapes at him. “What kind of question is that?! Is that okay.” He scoffs.

“Er…” Steve looks even more unsure than before. “Is it?”

This is ridiculous. They’re both idiots. Tony shakes his head, grabs Steve’s face in both hands, and pulls him in for the longest, deepest kiss of his life. He keeps his hands on Steve’s cheeks, pressing their foreheads together, and Steve grabs onto Tony’s wrist. Their breath mingles between them as they both pant for air. “Of course it’s okay, Steve,” Tony breathes. “It’s more than okay.”

“Good,” Steve replies, “that’s good.” He tilts his head and pecks Tony’s lips again. “Cos I meant it.”

Tony slides his hands from Steve’s face and slings his arms over his shoulders, grinning. “Good.”

“Good,” Steve repeats with a firm nod but ruins the effect by pulling his lip anxiously between his teeth.

Idiots, the both of them. “You know I love you too right?” and Tony can feel the release in tension beneath his forearms.

“You do?”

“I do.”

“Good.” Steve grins. “That’s good.”

“So,” Tony says after a stupidly long moment of grinning idiotically at each other. “What was it that pushed you over the top?” He drops one arm and moves the other to Steve’s waist and Steve slings a hand over his shoulder as they turn and face the room. Tony sweeps his hand out, gesturing at the cases and shelves filling every inch of wall-space. “Was it the diamond-encrusted Hot Wheels set? The eighteen carat gold Game Boy? The actual Darth Vader helmet worn in the Empire Strikes Back?”

Steve laughs. “No,” he says, “none of that.” Tony tilts his head up at him, curious, and Steve tugs him forward to where the Game Boy sits. “It’s this,” he says, and points to the shelf just beneath the glass case holding the console, on which sit some bits of circuitry and a little screen. 

“Oh.” Tony blinks. “Er...what?”

“Only you, Tony, would buy a $25,000 toy just to take it apart and make it better.”

“Well the resolution on it was just so poor and the latency was just insane. I have no idea how people dealt with it back in the day. And I didn’t want to just throw away the original parts and...stop laughing at me!”

Steve tugs him in for a hug and Tony goes, albeit somewhat reluctantly. Tony can feel his shoulders shaking. “You’re still laughing,” Tony mumbles into his chest.

Steve presses a kiss to the top of his head. “I promised you I wouldn’t be upset, not that I wouldn’t laugh.”

“I hate you.”

“You loooove me,” Steve sings back and Tony’s heart promptly flips over. God, Steve is going to be unbearable now. 

He pulls back a little and squints at Steve. “Next time, we’re going to your place.”

The mirth immediately drops off of Steve’s face, giving way to sheer panic. “Mmmmm, no, I don’t think so.”

“What! What do you mean,  _ no, I don’t think so _ ?”

“Just that,” Steve says and turns away, looking around the place interestedly. “Now, which of these leads to your bedroom?”

“That one,” Tony waves, “but we’re not done here.” Steve ignores him and starts off towards it, leaving Tony gaping after him. “Steve! What do you mean no? What’s wrong with your place?”

“Are you coming?” Steve calls over his shoulder. He opens the bedroom door, then tugs his shirt over his head and tosses it back to Tony. “Or am I going to have to do this on my own?” 

Tony absently catches it. He stares for a moment at the half-naked man in front of him and decides that for once in his life, his undying curiosity for everything was going to have to wait.


End file.
